Game ID: 22400873
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Phoenix Suns
Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 9:30 PM ET
PHX Arena, Phoenix, AZ
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
PHX 34 17 21 26 98MIN 28 21 34 33 116
MIN @ PHX ScoutingMIN @ PHX Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
PHX availability going into 2/23 · back-to-backOUT Ighodaro missed 4 since 2/11, returns tonight: 1 min (7% of 17)
OUT Gillespie missed 2 since 2/20, returns tonight: 1 min (9% of 14)
OUT Morris missed 4 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Durant back 2/11 after 3, 41 min since (111% of 36)
BACK Beal back 2/20 after 4, 35 min since (110% of 32)
NEW O'Neale 24 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Bol 12 to 24 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 2/25 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 5 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Durant back 2/11 after 3, 40 min since (111% of 36)
BACK Beal back 2/20 after 4, 37 min since (117% of 32)
BACK Ighodaro back 2/23 after 4, 1 min since (7% of 17)
BACK Gillespie back 2/23 after 2, 1 min since (9% of 14)
NEW O'Neale 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Bol 12 to 19 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 6 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 2/20 after 4, 39 min since (121% of 32)
BACK Ighodaro back 2/23 after 4, 1 min since (7% of 17)
BACK Gillespie back 2/23 after 2, 1 min since (9% of 14)
NEW Bol 12 to 19 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 2/28 · back-to-backOUT Ighodaro missed 2 since 2/25, returns tonight: 2 min (10% of 17)
OUT Morris missed 7 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 2/20 after 4, 39 min since (121% of 32)
BACK Gillespie back 2/23 after 2, 3 min since (20% of 14)
NEW Bol 12 to 18 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 2 since 2/27, returns tonight: 34 min (104% of 32)
OUT Morris missed 8 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Ighodaro back 2/23 after 4, 1 min since (8% of 17)
BACK Gillespie back 2/23 after 2, 8 min since (56% of 14)
NEW Bol 12 to 21 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/04 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 9 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 2, 34 min since (104% of 32)
BACK Ighodaro back 2/23 after 4, 2 min since (9% of 17)
BACK Gillespie back 2/23 after 2, 6 min since (45% of 14)
NEW Bol 12 to 24 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/07 · 2 days' restOUT Morris missed 10 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 2, 24 min since (75% of 32)
BACK Ighodaro back 2/28 after 2, 2 min since (10% of 17)
NEW Bol 12 to 24 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/09 · 1 day's restOUT Dunn missed 2 since 3/04, returns tonight: 2 min (8% of 19)
OUT Ighodaro missed 2 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 11 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 2, 30 min since (92% of 32)
NEW Bol 12 to 21 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/10 · back-to-backOUT Ighodaro missed 3 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 12 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 2, 29 min since (92% of 32)
BACK Dunn back 3/09 after 2, 2 min since (8% of 19)
NEW Bol 12 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/23 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 9 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Gobert missed 2 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 17 since 1/17, out tonight
BACK Conley back 2/21 after 4, 24 min since (98% of 25)
NEW McDaniels 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Reid 27 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/24 · back-to-backOUT Randle missed 10 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Gobert missed 3 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 18 since 1/17, out tonight
BACK Conley back 2/21 after 4, 28 min since (113% of 25)
NEW McDaniels 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Reid 27 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/27 · 2 days' restOUT Randle missed 11 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Gobert missed 4 since 2/13, out tonight
OUT DiVincenzo missed 19 since 1/17, returns tonight: 23 min (90% of 26)
BACK Conley back 2/21 after 4, 23 min since (94% of 25)
NEW McDaniels 32 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Reid 27 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 16 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 2/28 · back-to-backOUT Randle missed 12 since 2/01, out tonight
OUT Gobert missed 5 since 2/13, out tonight
BACK DiVincenzo back 2/27 after 19, 23 min since (90% of 26)
BACK Conley back 2/21 after 4, 24 min since (97% of 25)
NEW McDaniels 32 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Reid 27 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Dillingham 10 to 15 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restOUT Randle missed 13 since 2/01, returns tonight: 34 min (103% of 33)
OUT Gobert missed 6 since 2/13, out tonight
BACK DiVincenzo back 2/27 after 19, 25 min since (96% of 26)
BACK Conley back 2/21 after 4, 24 min since (97% of 25)
NEW McDaniels 32 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Reid 27 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 20 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/04 · 1 day's restOUT Gobert missed 7 since 2/13, out tonight
BACK Randle back 3/02 after 13, 34 min since (103% of 33)
BACK DiVincenzo back 2/27 after 19, 25 min since (99% of 26)
NEW McDaniels 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Reid 27 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Clark 12 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/05 · back-to-backOUT Gobert missed 8 since 2/13, out tonight
BACK Randle back 3/02 after 13, 32 min since (97% of 33)
BACK DiVincenzo back 2/27 after 19, 25 min since (97% of 26)
NEW Reid 27 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 32 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/07 · 1 day's restOUT Gobert missed 9 since 2/13, out tonight
BACK Randle back 3/02 after 13, 33 min since (101% of 33)
BACK DiVincenzo back 2/27 after 19, 26 min since (102% of 26)
NEW Reid 27 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 25 to 30 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/09 · 1 day's restOUT Gobert missed 10 since 2/13, returns tonight: 20 min (61% of 32)
BACK Randle back 3/02 after 13, 33 min since (101% of 33)
NEW Reid 27 to 36 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 125, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Booker at 28 and Beal at 26 a game. Without Beal (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 121, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 25 and McDaniels at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Randle (13 straight), Gobert (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 42 percent from three to Minnesota's 34 and the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-0 a night and Minnesota minus-7. Call it Phoenix 118, Minnesota 117, Minnesota keeping it close.
2/23 @ TOR 109-127 — PHX notes
PHX lost 109-127. PHX shot 51% (43 of 85) to TOR's 49%, 7 of 28 from three, and got to the line 22 times to TOR's 30. The glass went 37-49 against them. Booker led with 31 (12 of 25, 3 of 8 from three); Beal added 30, Durant 15. Q3 was theirs, 30-21, the deficit cut from 15 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 106-79 against them. Allen's -22 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/25 @ MEM 148-151 — PHX notes
PHX lost 148-151 in 1 overtime. PHX shot 54% (53 of 99) to MEM's 53%, 21 of 37 from three. Booker led with 28 (12 of 20, 2 of 4 from three); Durant added 26, Beal 24. Q1 was theirs, 34-31, but the other 4 periods went 120-114 against them. They led by as many as 10. Bol's -12 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/27 vs NOP 116-124 — PHX notes
PHX lost 116-124. PHX shot 47% (44 of 94) to NOP's 48%, 20 of 53 from three. Booker led with 36 (13 of 29, 6 of 16 from three); Durant added 28, Jones 15. Q2 was theirs, 32-26, turning a 5-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 98-84 against them. Allen's -22 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/28 vs NOP 125-108 — PHX notes
PHX won 125-108. PHX shot 59% (47 of 79) to NOP's 51%, 21 of 40 from three. Bol led with 25 (9 of 12, 5 of 8 from three); Richards added 19, O'Neale 18. The hinge was Q1, 40-18: from level to 22 ahead, and the lead reached 29. Plumlee was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
3/02 vs MIN 98-116 — PHX notes
PHX lost 98-116. PHX shot 44% (35 of 80) to MIN's 42%, 13 of 42 from three. PHX turned it over 20 times to MIN's 8, and MIN turned those into 18 steals. The glass went 57-35 for them. Durant led with 26 (10 of 23, 3 of 9 from three, 3 of 7 at the line); Beal added 18, Booker 17. Q1 was theirs, 34-28, but the other 3 periods went 88-64 against them. They led by as many as 12. Booker's -26 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/04 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 125, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Beal at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 113, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and Harden at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to the Clippers' 31 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 113 a night to Phoenix's 125. Call it Phoenix 115, the Clippers 113, the Clippers keeping it close.
3/07 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Murray at 23 and Jokić at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Gordon (3 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 123, shooting 51 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; Durant at 26 and Booker at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 43 percent from three to Denver's 37 and the defense, Denver allowing 115 a night to Phoenix's 123. Call it Denver 121, Phoenix 115.
3/09 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 122, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 20 free throws a game; Irving at 21 and Thompson at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. Without Washington (3 straight), Davis (11 straight), Lively II (24 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 123, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Booker at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Dunn (2 straight), Ighodaro (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-5 a night and Dallas minus-13 and the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to Dallas's 31. Call it Phoenix 117, Dallas 116, Dallas keeping it close.
3/10 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 20 free throws a game; Morant at 29 and Bane at 27 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Jackson Jr. (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 121, shooting 54 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 25 and Booker at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Ighodaro (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Memphis wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to Memphis's 31. Call it Memphis 121, Phoenix 117, Phoenix keeping it close.
2/23 vs OKC 123-130 — MIN notes
MIN lost 123-130. MIN shot 44% (39 of 89) to OKC's 56%, 18 of 45 from three, and went to the line 28 times to OKC's 20 — 27 points from the stripe to their 15. Edwards led with 29 (8 of 21, 4 of 13 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Reid added 22, Alexander-Walker 18. Q2 was theirs, 40-26, turning a 12-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 104-83 against them. Shannon Jr.'s -22 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/24 @ OKC 131-128 — MIN notes
MIN won 131-128 in 1 overtime. MIN shot 45% (44 of 97) to OKC's 42%, 9 of 32 from three, and went to the line 39 times to OKC's 29 — 34 points from the stripe to their 23. McDaniels led with 27 (9 of 16, 9 of 9 at the line); Reid added 22, Alexander-Walker 21. The hinge was Q4, 41-19: MIN came in trailing by 22 and left it level. MIN trailed 45-64 at the half and won the second half 86-64. Alexander-Walker was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
2/27 @ LAL 102-111 — MIN notes
MIN lost 102-111. MIN shot 42% (35 of 84) to LAL's 41%, 12 of 41 from three, and got to the line 26 times to LAL's 46. The glass went 41-52 against them. Shannon Jr. led with 25 (9 of 15, 1 of 3 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Edwards added 18, McDaniels 15. Q2 was theirs, 30-25, the deficit cut from 16 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 86-72 against them.
2/28 @ UTA 116-117 — MIN notes
MIN lost 116-117. MIN took 9 more shots (101 to 92), fed by 11 offensive rebounds, but shot 44% to UTA's 51%, 20 of 52 from three. MIN turned it over 7 times to UTA's 20. The glass went 40-60 against them. Reid led with 27 (10 of 25, 6 of 15 from three); McDaniels added 20, Shannon Jr. 17. Q2 was theirs, 27-18, but the other 3 periods went 99-89 against them. They led by as many as 13.
3/02 @ PHX 116-98 — MIN notes
MIN won 116-98. MIN shot 42% (39 of 92) to PHX's 44%, 21 of 52 from three. MIN turned it over 8 times to PHX's 20. The glass went 35-57 against them. Edwards led with 44 (12 of 22, 6 of 14 from three, 14 of 14 at the line); DiVincenzo added 24, Randle 20. The hinge was Q3, 34-21: MIN came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 11, and the lead reached 21. MIN trailed 49-51 at the half and won the second half 67-47. Reid was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
3/04 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 117, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and McDaniels at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Gobert (7 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 119, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Oubre Jr. at 20 and George at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Okeke (9 straight), Lowry (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Minnesota 118, Philadelphia 109.
3/05 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 95 a night and allowing 119, shooting 39 percent and 28 from three, 19 free throws a game; Bridges at 21 and Ball at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Gra. Williams (44 straight), Simpson (2 straight), Okogie (15 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Edwards at 24 and McDaniels at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Gobert (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Charlotte giving it away 18 times a game to Minnesota's 11 and the arc, Minnesota at 37 percent from three to Charlotte's 28. Call it Minnesota 113, Charlotte 108.
3/07 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 109, shooting 52 percent and 42 from three, 19 free throws a game; Adebayo at 24 and Herro at 23 a game. Without Wiggins (4 straight), Jović (6 straight), Ware (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Randle at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. Without Gobert (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Miami has been minus-0 a night and Minnesota minus-13 and the turnovers, Miami giving it away 13 times a game to Minnesota's 9. Call it Miami 113, Minnesota 111, Minnesota keeping it close.
3/09 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Randle at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. Without Gobert (10 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 126, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Castle at 24 and Vassell at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 108 a night to San Antonio's 126 and the arc, Minnesota at 41 percent from three to San Antonio's 37. Call it Minnesota 119, San Antonio 112.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MINAE A. Edwards
DD D. DiVincenzo
JC J. Clark
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. Minott
JR J. Randle
LG L. Garza
LM L. Miller
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RD R. Dillingham
TS T. Shannon Jr.
PHXBB B. Beal
BB B. Bol
CG C. Gillespie
DB D. Booker
DL D. Lee
GA G. Allen
IG Ighodaro
KD K. Durant
MP M. Plumlee
NR N. Richards
RD R. Dunn
RO R. O'Neale
TJ T. Jones
MIN/PHX the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Edwards scores 44 points, Randle adds 20 in return to help the Timberwolves beat the Suns 116-98
PHOENIX -- — Anthony Edwards scored 44 points, Julius Randle added 20 in his first game since missing more than a month with an injury and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 116-98 on Sunday night.
Edwards scored 17 points in the third quarter as the Timberwolves took control, turning a two-point halftime deficit into a 83-72 lead heading into the fourth. Minnesota never trailed in the final quarter, winning for just the third time in the past nine games.
Donte DiVincenzo scored 24 points on eight 3-pointers. Randle was in the lineup for the first time since Jan. 30 after missing 13 games with a right groin strain.
The sliding Suns have lost 11 of their last 14. Kevin Durant led the team with 26 points.
Phoenix led for nearly the entire first half and took a 51-49 advantage into halftime. Randle led all scorers with 16 points while Devin Booker had 12 for the Suns and finished with 17.
Takeaways Timberwolves: Minnesota has struggled over the past few weeks but Randle's return helped spark a quality road victory. The Timberwolves look poised to make a move in the Western Conference playoff race with the No. 6 seed there for the taking.
Suns: It's more of the same for the Suns, who had a full roster of healthy players and still couldn't beat another playoff-caliber team. Phoenix needs a minor miracle to make the playoffs at this point and it doesn't look like one is coming.
Key moment Randle dunked over Suns rookie Ryan Dunn and then Dunn threw away the ensuing inbounds pass, which was stolen by Jaden McDaniels who scored an easy layup. The two buckets gave the Timberwolves a 95-78 lead with 8:21 left.
Key stat Minnesota scored 40 points off of 22 Phoenix turnovers.
Up next Timberwolves host the 76ers on Tuesday; Suns host the Clippers on Tuesday.